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OttawaScott
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Location: Canada
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 Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 5:21 am Post subject: Considering bringing our kids to Korea...advice? |
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Hello. My wife and I have taught in South Korea before, about 6 years ago. We loved it and had a blast but we had no kids at the time. Now, we have a 10 month old boy and a 3 year old girl and we are considering going back for a 6 month or 1 year stint as we could still do this without having to pull the kids from school. By next year our oldest will be in school in Canada. We are both in positions to be able to take leaves of absence from our jobs in Canada however we have some concerns. Our main concern is the health of our children. The air quality is so poor in Korea and we're worried about it affecting the kids short and long term. Also, the medical care for our children...would the kids have any coverage? Would we have to purchase insurance? At what cost? Am I going to have difficulty communicating to my kids' doctor?
The second concern with bringing the kids is the lack of typical western 'kids' things to do in Korea. It appears there are very few parks or playgrounds or places devoted to kids just having fun and playing (outside of the many arcades, which are not suitable for a 3 yr old anyways).
Also, we would need daycare but I imagine that wouldn't be too hard to find and probably at a very reasonable price. However, it would most likely be care from someone who did not speak English.
Also, we would need a decent size apartment, at least 2 bedroom and I don't know that any hogwan would ante up for such an apartment.
A few things we have going for us is that both my wife and I have taught in Korea before so we have experience and we know what to expect (except how the kids will manage). Also, my wife is a professional school teacher here in Canada so hopefully she could command a greater salaray or benefits such as a nicer apartment.
Anyways, I would appreciate hearing any and all thoughts on these concerns, especially from anyone who has lived in Korea with babies or infants. Thanks!
Scott |
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Homer
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| Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 5:36 am Post subject: |
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Hey Scott,
I have a son here in Korea (my wife is Korean however so he is mixed) and we have another baby on the way.
To answer your questions....
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| Our main concern is the health of our children. The air quality is so poor in Korea and we're worried about it affecting the kids short and long term. Also, the medical care for our children...would the kids have any coverage? Would we have to purchase insurance? At what cost? Am I going to have difficulty communicating to my kids' doctor? |
Air quality varies from city to city and even from area to area within the same city! But it won't be as good as say the canadian wilderness...something you have to live with. I know in our area in Busan (we live near the beach) the air quality is pretty good.
The typical medical care from schools will not cover your kids. You need to purchase private insurance or ask your school board if your coverage can be valid while you take a year off.
Cost for private insurance will vary depending on the plan you choose....
Communication with your kids doctor depends where you live in Korea and on your Korean ability. You can find English speaking doctors in the bigger cities. Our pediatrician is fantastic. He is Korean but studied in the US. He takes great care of our son.
| Quote: |
| The second concern with bringing the kids is the lack of typical western 'kids' things to do in Korea. It appears there are very few parks or playgrounds or places devoted to kids just having fun and playing (outside of the many arcades, which are not suitable for a 3 yr old anyways). |
Well you are speaking from a large city standpoint (I assume) but even then Seoul and Busan have many parks and playgounds....you just have to know where they are. Also, the mountains are always near by with some good picnic places, hiking and play areas.
There a few parks near our appartment in Busan , some with playground equipment. There are also indoor playgounds....
If you seek open spaces...look for jobs in smaller cities or in the countryside...
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| Also, we would need daycare but I imagine that wouldn't be too hard to find and probably at a very reasonable price. However, it would most likely be care from someone who did not speak English. |
Our son goes to daycare. We had no problem finding one and the costs are reasonable (around 400 000 won monthly or so). Your oldest will be nearly 4 and can go to pre-school here or if you do not want your oldest to experience korean preschool...there are international schools (those cost more).
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| Also, we would need a decent size apartment, at least 2 bedroom and I don't know that any hogwan would ante up for such an apartment. |
Some Hakwons will provide a 2 bedroom place. Some Public Schools and Universtities as well.
You can also request a no-housing contract with a housing allowance (you would get two: yours and your wife) and find your own place. That might be the better option.
Since your wife is a certified teacher she can have access to international school jobs. These tend to pay more but are harder to get. You guys can also get Public School jobs or the better hakwon jobs out there. It will require some looking as you are looking for jobs and have dependents coming. Some schools will turn you down flat because of this, other schools will see it as a sign of stability and as a plus.
As for your kids....I know my son has had zero problems at the daycare. He is the only mixed kid there and he has a ball with the other kids. Some other people with children have had bad experiences. It guess it depends.
One thing is for sure, you guys better erase those memories of what it was like teaching in Korea 6 years ago because back then you had no kids and were younger! With two kids, jobs and living abroad the game is completely different.....
I have a friend from Montreal coming back to Korea next year with his wife and kid....if you want I can put you guys in touch and he can discuss the moving to korea with kids thing...if thats up your alley...pm me!
Cheers and good luck |
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The_Conservative
Joined: 15 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 6:13 am Post subject: Re: Considering bringing our kids to Korea...advice? |
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| OttawaScott wrote: |
Hello. My wife and I have taught in South Korea before, about 6 years ago. We loved it and had a blast but we had no kids at the time. Now, we have a 10 month old boy and a 3 year old girl and we are considering going back for a 6 month or 1 year stint as we could still do this without having to pull the kids from school. By next year our oldest will be in school in Canada. We are both in positions to be able to take leaves of absence from our jobs in Canada however we have some concerns. Our main concern is the health of our children. The air quality is so poor in Korea and we're worried about it affecting the kids short and long term. Also, the medical care for our children...would the kids have any coverage? Would we have to purchase insurance? At what cost? Am I going to have difficulty communicating to my kids' doctor?
The second concern with bringing the kids is the lack of typical western 'kids' things to do in Korea. It appears there are very few parks or playgrounds or places devoted to kids just having fun and playing (outside of the many arcades, which are not suitable for a 3 yr old anyways).
Also, we would need daycare but I imagine that wouldn't be too hard to find and probably at a very reasonable price. However, it would most likely be care from someone who did not speak English.
Also, we would need a decent size apartment, at least 2 bedroom and I don't know that any hogwan would ante up for such an apartment.
A few things we have going for us is that both my wife and I have taught in Korea before so we have experience and we know what to expect (except how the kids will manage). Also, my wife is a professional school teacher here in Canada so hopefully she could command a greater salaray or benefits such as a nicer apartment.
Anyways, I would appreciate hearing any and all thoughts on these concerns, especially from anyone who has lived in Korea with babies or infants. Thanks!
Scott |
First of all you don't need to limit yourself to hakwons. A couple of years ago Gyeonggi-Do province started a massive push to place foreigners in public schools. They still can't come close to filling all the places so you should be able to get a couple of those. Unlike hakwons you can trust them to pay on time, in full and don't have to worry about the kids running the show. Plus you will get all your benefits (medical, pension).
GEPIK (the program that handles this) will provide a two bedroom apartment if you are a couple. Also I believe that your dependants are covered,...I'll have to get back to you on that.
Hakwons are a crapshoot these days. Many are shady operations and will nickle and dime you. There are some good ones but they are few and far in between. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 6:40 am Post subject: Re: Considering bringing our kids to Korea...advice? |
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| The_Conservative wrote: |
First of all you don't need to limit yourself to hakwons. A couple of years ago Gyeonggi-Do province started a massive push to place foreigners in public schools. They still can't come close to filling all the places so you should be able to get a couple of those. Unlike hakwons you can trust them to pay on time, in full and don't have to worry about the kids running the show. Plus you will get all your benefits (medical, pension).
GEPIK (the program that handles this) will provide a two bedroom apartment if you are a couple. Also I believe that your dependants are covered,...I'll have to get back to you on that.
Hakwons are a crapshoot these days. Many are shady operations and will nickle and dime you. There are some good ones but they are few and far in between. |
I can confirm that your dependants are covered on the medical plan AND there is no additional increase in the premiums because of them.
Medical care is similar to Canada in terms of technology and way ahead of Canada in terms of no wait lists for treatment.
Routine visits have a small co-pay (3000 won for a doctor visit) and prescription meds are subsidized by the insurance as well.
There are lots of daycare spaces and costs run from 250-500k per month. For your older child you could probably get a substancial reduction if he was placed into an English preschool/kindergarten because he is a native speaker and would be an asset for the school and as a side benefit he would get to attend lots of birthday parties  .
Government jobs will give you a 2 bedroom apartment and many public schools would love the opportunity to have a working couple as teachers.
There are lots of public parks with playgrounds (as well as every public elementary schools with playground equipment) and lots places to take the little ones for play inside and out.
I work in a public school, I am married (not to a Korean) and we have a young one as well so these comments are based on personal experience. |
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VirginIslander
Joined: 24 May 2006
Location: Busan
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| Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 7:08 am Post subject: |
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| Get a job at an International School, like the one they have here in Busan. Free tuition for your children (worth 10 million a year) and close to the beach. |
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Homer
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 7:32 am Post subject: |
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Well good on tom to bring more concrete information here.
Well done Tom. |
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PeeWee
Joined: 15 Mar 2007
Location: Gangnam
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| Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 9:17 am Post subject: |
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Hey Scott,
I've been lurking on Dave's for a few weeks and generally don't care to post reponses to anything on here, but I couldn't resist throwing in my 2 cents here...
Please, please, please bring your kids to Korea! Moving them to a foreign country is one of the best gifts you can give them. I don't know much about the healthcare issues, apartment issues, but from a diversity standpoint alone, it's all worth it.
I'm American but my family lived in Korea for 3 years when I was 2 and I still have memories I carry with me, not to mention the fact that I fluently spoke 2 languages by the age of 5. In today's world, and the way the world is expected to change in the coming decades, giving your kids the chance to be bilingual is an incredible gift. Chances are, to function successfully in the future, they'll need to know more than one language. Why not make it easy for them by letting them learn it when they're young? Living in Korea, your kids will still receive their fill of western culture from time spent with you and your wife in the apartment/weekends, but they'll also be experiencing a completely new culture. Depending on how long you stay in Korea with them, I can guarantee that your kids will grow up more accepting, diverse and open-minded than most kids their age as a result of time spent there.
Best of luck in your decision |
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OttawaScott
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks for all the replies so far! Would love to hear from others who have experience/advice in this area. If you have brought your kids to Korea, how have you found their health to be? Have your kids had any health problems and how have they been treated? Thanks! |
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korea252
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
Location: Seoul, Haebangchon
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| Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 6:28 pm Post subject: |
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As Ttompatz has said dependants are covered by your health insurance. Our little one was born here and hasn't had any health problems except for a cold - so nothing to worry about. If you're really concerned then look for a job in the suburbs or countryside where air quality will be better.
Koreans love children so your kids will get LOTS of attention.
Seen lots of play parks - almost all high rises have them along with kindergartens.
I'm sure your older kid will make friends - children make friends so easily. There was also a thread recently for parents to meet up so their kids could play together.
I don't know about child care personally but if you do a search you should find some helpful info - have noticed lots of advertisements for childcare in Hannam market.
Good luck with coming over.  |
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mapleleafs
Joined: 22 Apr 2007
Location: AUSTRALIA/CANADA/KOREA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:02 am Post subject: |
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Hey Scott,
Keep us posted how you fare taking kids to Korea, especially with the younger one. I'm Australian and my wife is Canadian, and we have a 6 month old girl. We wouldn't be leaving until December at the earliest, but we've been there before. I taught in Korea for three years (but didn't have a reason to check out daycare back then! By the time we get there our girl will be about 15 months old, I guess.
If you could let us know how you got on that would be great.
Thanks,
Adam. |
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